This is probably such a simple thing I could trip over the answer if I could just SEE it... I am a knitter, but I can do single crochet and learned how to make a simple triangle shawl with a gigantic hook. The concept is: chain as long as I want the long side of the shawl to be (such as, wrist to wrist). Turn, skip the first loop in the chain, single crochet across until 2 loops from the end. Do a decrease (basically put the hook through the 2 last loops and single crochet), chain one, and turn. Keep going until you run out of stitches. This seemed to work for my instructor and the others in my class, but *my* shawls always seem to be much shorter than they should be. If knitting, I would simply decrease on one side of each row instead of both sides: do you think this is the problem? I am frustrated that my shawls aren't coming out triangular, they are so short that they barely reach my butt, even though they are the right length down my arms. Any suggestions or direction to helpful web sites would be greatly appreciated.

You may be decreasing more then you think - do a swatch and check your stitch counts - I am willing to lay odds that you are actually decreasing THREE stitches per row - one at the beginning and two at the end; rather then the two you think you are decreasing. if you have no turning chain you may even be decreasing FOUR stitches per row.

alternatively - if your shawl is shorter then you want - alternate rows of decrease and no decrease - or possibly do two rows of decreases and one of none.

or yes, you could do the decrease every row but only on one end.

MMario - I don't live in the 21st century - but I play a character who does.

Thanks, MMario! I'll examine the shawl I'm working on and play with swatches, maybe I can find the extra decrease. Swatching with a single decrease on each row using just one end is going to be the next thing I try. I really appreciate your input :)

When you create your foundation row, and you skip that first chain, it's not a decrease, it's just how you start a single crochet row. After that first row, you should crochet in the first stitch. There's a great chart: http://www.crochet.org/lessons/lessonr/rchains.html that explains when you skip that first stitch or not. I hope that helps.

Sarah

http://sarah.teamradicus.com/art.htm-------------------If I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning. ~Mahatma Gandhi